The Need
The building sector accounts for about half (48%) of all energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Voluntary green building programs guide builders and designers toward the construction of sustainable, energy efficient buildings. Currently, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that by 2011, 10% of the new homes constructed in the U.S. will meet green building guidelines. While this is an excellent initial step, we can and must do more with voluntary programs to transform the building environment in the U.S. We believe a phased approach to an ultimate goal of carbon neutral buildings must be part of an overall energy plan.
Solutions
- Fully support and expand the Department of Energy’s Builders Challenge, which challenges our nation’s homebuilders to deliver 220,000 new homes built to advanced energy efficiency levels by 2012.
- Congress should require DOE’s Building Technologies Program to develop a road map aimed at delivering on its strategic goal to create technologies and design approaches that lead to marketable zero-energy1 homes by 2020, and zero-energy commercial buildings by 2025.
- Congress should allocate sufficient funding for R&D programs directed toward building envelope technology innovation to meet the challenge of net-zero energy homes and buildings.
- The nation should be strongly encouraged to set national goals to increase the use of voluntary green building programs to increase beyond 10% the number of covered housing starts. Ten percent is a start, but more can and must be done.
- Congress should endorse the Architecture 2030 challenge, which is now supported by the U.S. Conference of Mayors Resolution #50. Congress and the next administration should make this initiative a national energy policy goal and challenge industry to deliver cost effective innovation.
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1A net-zero energy building is a residential or commercial building with greatly reduced needs for energy through efficiency gains (60% to 70% less than conventional practice), with the balance of energy needs supplied by renewable technologies.
